McLaren’s first ever world champion Emerson Fittipaldi will write a regular column for the team’s rebranded website this season.

Fittipaldi, who won the second of his two world championships while driving a McLaren in 1974, won 14 grands prix during his career.

The Brazilian became the sport’s youngest ever Formula world champion when he won his first title with Lotus – aged 25 years and 273 before losing the record to Fernando Alonso in 2005.

Fittipaldi, 66, is also one of only five men to have won both the Indianpolis 500 and the F1 World Championship – Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve are the others.

Fittipaldi said: “I want to say how delighted I am to have been invited to write a regular blog for McLaren’s official website, mclaren.com/formula1.

“I plan to do 12 of them this year, on a more-or-less monthly basis, timing them for the lead-up to key events or races. I’m a racer, not a writer, but I hope I’ll be able to communicate my racer’s passion in what I write.

“Even now, more than half a century after my first race, I love racing as much as I ever did. Wherever I am in the world, racing is always on my mind, and I’m always happy to talk about it with people who love it as I do. Racing is my life. I think I was put on earth to race.”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: ““As our first ever World Champion, Emerson has a unique and indelible place in the McLaren ‘hall of fame’.

“But, more than that, he’s one of the true greats of motor racing, a man who has seen and done more than almost any one else in motor racing history, so he’s uniquely well placed to offer mclaren.com/formula1 readers his unique views and insights.”

The column coincides with the launch of a new website for the team which has greater social integration and more video and interactive content.

I was fortunate enough to be part of the 69 season when Ricardo Achcar, Luis Beuno and Emmerson arrived in the UK to participate in Formula Ford. His talent was quickly spotted by the late Jim Russell who snapped him up mid season for F3 and as they say the rest is history.......A great Ambassador for both McLaren and motor racing and look forward to reading his articles